Wisconsin football: senior offensive lineman Cormac Sampson leaves the program

One of Wisconsin's veteran reserves will focus on his career after football per reports.

With fall camp just around the corner and the Wisconsin Badgers football team in the middle of summer conditioning, excitement for the 2022 season is ramping up.

However, the Badgers will be without one of their most versatile reserves along the offensive line this year, as redshirt senior Cormac Sampson has decided to step away from the program to pursue a career beyond the field.

Sampson recently graduated with degrees in Political Science and Philosophy and is in the middle of pursuing a master's degree in Educational Administration through UW at this time.

The news of Sampson's departure was reported first by Evan Flood of 247 Sports but has been a possibility dating back to the spring, per Jon McNamara of the Rivals Network.

Sampson finishes his career at Wisconsin having played in 32 games with the Badgers and making six starts at multiple positions. Sampson most recently started at center in the Las Vegas Bowl with Joe Tippmann unavailable for the post-season contest and had also seen playing time at guard and as a blocking tight end the past three seasons.

His decision to leave the program comes after Sampson participated in spring practice but worked primarily with the No. 2 offensive line at center for most of the spring, with Tanor Bortolini taking the bulk of the snaps with the first-team offense.

A native of Eau Claire, Sampson was a three-star recruit out of high school according to Rivals, and ultimately chose to stay inside the state and play for Wisconsin over other scholarship offers from Illinois State, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, South Dakota, South Dakota State, and Western Illinois. He earned a fourth-star late in the recruiting process by 247 Sports, and he came to Wisconsin as an all-state tight end and defensive end at the prep level.

After playing tight end during his first two seasons with the Badgers, Sampson added weight to his 6-foot-4 frame and transitioned to the offensive line, working primarily at center and guard.

Sampson started the final two games of the 2020 season at guard, helping Wisconsin win the Axe against Minnesota and take down Wake Forest in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.

His versatility along the offensive line made him a valuable player for Wisconsin, as he was in contention for a spot inside the two-deep entering fall camp. Sophomore Tanor Bortolini is a similar player to Sampson, and his emergence the past two seasons will help ease the loss of Sampson's experience in the room though. Sophomore guard Dylan Barrett also stands to benefit from the departure, as he is another interior offensive lineman in contention for a spot in the two-deep this fall.

Best of luck to Cormac as he moves on to life after football! 

Appreciating the leadership he has provided on the field and in the classroom is our philosophy.

Congrats, @shorty_sampson! #UWGrad | #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/DpCy5wEzhP

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) May 14, 2022

Related links:

• Five seniors who could become full-time starters in 2022
• Eight redshirt freshmen who could contribute next season
• 10 players coming back from an injury that should help the Badgers in 2022

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